Guest Column: Good times at the Boy Scout Jamboree

On July 8, the Verdugo Hills Council National Jamboree Boy Scout Troop No. B418 headed out on a grand adventure. We began by hopping onto a plane to New York. Our troop's eventual destination was the National Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.

We had to get up as early as 4 a.m. to make it to our morning flight from LAX and the plan worked out well, as everyone made it to the airport on time. After a tearful goodbye to the parents, the troop went through tight security, as we would soon do later many times throughout the tour. At the airport, we boarded the plane and eventually landed in New York. After landing, we were taken to our bus for week to New York to tour and shop for souvenirs. We also enjoyed two dinners together. However, we did not have a hotel in the Big Apple; our hotel was in New Jersey.

On the second day, the crew went to pay their respects to the victims of 9/11 and saw the Statue of Liberty on a lively boat tour. After the adventures in Central Park, we left for Pennsylvania. There, our troop was astounded by the massive size of a food gallery for dinner. After seeing the Liberty Bell and going inside Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed (and read outside later), we went into a small museum that focuses on American history.

Afterward, the troop went into Hershey Park for a fun-filled day filled with chocolate and infectious (though repetitive) music. Our last stop before Jamboree was into Washington, D.C., where we did many activities, including attending a memorial service to the Space Shuttle Colombia, touring many memorials and museums, and the U.S. Capitol. Before our last dinner there, we toured areas around the White House, including the WW II and Lincoln memorials.

The next day, we took a long, five-hour trip to the Jamboree, and had a spectacular time. Wood carving, archery and merit badge midway were a few of the many activities available to the Scouts, along with such high-adventure activities as zipline, white-water rafting, and shooting sports. We plan on coming back in 2017.

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LOGAN JEFFREYis a Glendale resident and a member of the Verdugo Hills Council National Jamboree Boy Scout Troop, which included 36 Boy Scouts, six Venture Crew members and four adult leaders. Scouts gather at National Jamboree from across the country and the U.S. territories, once every three years.